Sweet Madness
by moonswirl
Summary: Set after/during ATY. Sydney goes home, trying to grasp the thought that Vaughn is gone, but... is he? ;) SO SORRY FOR DELAY
1. Where are you?

Sweet Madness  
  
A/N: Again, no tape, could be some innacurate (sp?) stuff... Set during/after ATY  
  
  
Had this all really happened? She sat in a plane on her way back to LA thinking that. It was all she could think of. Vaughn, her mother... Vaughn... She still couldn't wrap her mind around the fact that he was gone. It just wasn't possible... but it was.  
  
Then there was her mother. To say that their meeting had been intense would have been an understatement. Here was this woman she thought so highly of for so long, who could have done no wrong in her mind... This woman who turned out to be all the opposite.  
  
She'd imagined so many things they'd talk about when they'd finally meet. But never did she think her mother would ask her to join her. And while the thought of getting to know her mother, perhaps finding the part of her she'd loved so much beneath this new visage, the true meaning of that proposition made it impossible to accept.  
  
The woman had appeared untouched by her refusal, but she knew there would be more to it... This wasn't over. After the meeting, her mother had let her go and she was able to call for help, which was how she'd ended up on that plane back home.  
  
"Where are you..." she still found herself whispering as the plane landed.  
  
*  
  
He woke with a start, not sure where he was. He looked around and realized he was in a bed. "A bed..." he thought to himself, confused. For a second he thought maybe he was back home, that he and Sydney had made it back safely and everything was fine. But then he finally caught a glimpse of the room around him. This definitely wasn't home...  
  
****  
  
I know, it's short, but it's just a prologue... :) 


	2. Bristow meet Belgrave

Sweet Madness  
  
Chapter 1/?  
  
It took a few hours before anyone showed sign of life around this place. A slot opened in the bottom of the door and a plate was slid through. Vaughn turned at the sound. Once the slot was closed and he heard footsteps retreating, he slowly approached the plate. It looked like food, smelled like food, but what was to say they hadn't poisoned it. So he left it there.  
  
He stood in the middle of the room, looking around once again. "If you can hear me, anyone..." he started, but it had never gotten him any results so he stopped. He slumped back on the bed. Was Sydney okay... Had she made it out, or was she stuck in another room like this one... He wondered that again and again until it made his head spin. He lied back on the bed and closed his eyes. It didn't look like he was going anywhere at the moment anyway. He closed his eyes, not intending to sleep, but eventually finding himself in a dream. He wasn't surprised at who he found in his dream. She was usually there anyway.  
  
*  
  
She got off the plane, and wasn't surprised at all to see her father waiting for her. Their eyes met and it was like he'd read her mind. He knew what had happened without asking. There were probably some details he didn't know, but he had the base of it. He surprised her for once when she made it up to him and he turned to walk along with her. He slowly reached up and took her hand. That simple gesture was enough for her to finally release a part of her emotions and she began crying silently.  
  
They got in a car and as they drove off, he turned to her, still holding her hand. "Sydney, I..."  
  
"I know..." she said simply, her voice nothing more than a whisper. He turned back to look to the front but still looked to her every once in a while. She knew where they were going now, and at the moment she didn't know if she could face them and talk about everything that had happened without breaking down. One thing was for sure, they'd know they'd lost one of their best agents, she'd know she'd lost a lot more...  
  
*  
  
One month later  
  
Today he would make his move. There was no way he was staying a moment longer. He thought maybe he'd gone a little crazy in his month there. He'd been alone, all this time... No one ever came to see him. He tried to understand why that was, but after a while he didn't really care.  
  
The silence, the stillness of it all bothered him the most at first. He eventually got used to it, but he hadn't settled. He wasn't staying there. He was going to get out, and he had a plan. He couldn't put it in full motion for a few hours, so he waited on his bed.  
  
He still thought of her every day, almost every minute. Many little scenarios had had time to run through his mind in all these days. Most of them had Sydney escaping, alive and well. But there were still some that managed to creep their way into his head where she didn't make it. He tried to chase those out as soon as they came.  
  
There was always the question of how she would react if he made it out and back to the States and she found out he was still alive. It had after all been a month. How would she take having him suddenly reappear in her life? If she saw him at that moment she probably wouldn't recognize him, though. His hair had grown and it was all messy down to the beard he'd developed in this time. His clothes were dirty and torn. It wasn't a pretty picture.  
  
He stood when he knew his lunch was about to arrive. It had taken a few days before he'd finally given in and tasted the food. He was relieved to find it devoid of poison or anything of the sort. It wasn't exactly tasty, but it would sustain him. The first part of his plan had cost him one meal as he'd thrown it against the window in a 'fit of rage'. The window was too dirty for anyone to see through it now, and they hadn't even bothered cleaning it.  
  
So when his lunch was to come that day, he crawled to the door with a bar he'd ripped from his bed. It was sharp at the edge, perfect for what he intended to do with it. The slot opened and the man's hand slid through with the plate. As soon as it was there, Vaughn plunged the stick through the man's hand. He heard him scream but that didn't matter. There was no turning back now.  
  
"You get that door opened right now, you hear me? Right NOW!" he yelled. He heard some shouts through the door, then a lock being turned. With his free hand, he reached for the handle and pushed against it. The men behind it tumbled to the ground. He moved quickly and slid out into the hall at last. He grabbed one of the fallen men's guns and turned to run down the hall.  
  
He made it around a corner before an alarm was sounded. He picked up his step when he heard it. He had to find an exit as soon as possible.  
  
*  
  
"Agent Bristow, I'd like you to meet Agent Christopher Belgrave," Devlin spoke as she entered his office. She looked to the man sitting in front of his desk as he turned and stood. "Agent Belgrave, this is Agent Sydney Bristow." She shook the man's hand before both sat side by side. "Agent Bristow, I know it hasn't been very long since your previous handler, Agent Vaughn, was lost..." he started.  
  
"Previous handler?" she found herself saying out loud. She saw Devlin exchange a look with Belgrave and then she knew why she'd been called into the office. She'd dreaded this moment for so long it had almost seemed like maybe it wouldn't happen after all... but there it was. She was being assigned a new handler... It was over, they'd given up on him, and now they'd expect her to do the same? She couldn't.  
  
"I know how hard this must be for you..." Belgrave started as they came out of Devlin's office.  
  
"No, you don't know," she snapped at him suddenly.  
  
"Agent Bristow..." he tried again, but once more he was interrupted.  
  
"Did you know Agent Vaughn?" she asked him.  
  
"No, I didn't," he admitted.  
  
"Then how could you possibly know what I'm going through right now?"  
  
"I'm not trying to replace anyone, alright? I'm just doing my job." She sighed. He hadn't deserved to be yelled at this way.  
  
"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to..."  
  
"It's okay." He led her to his office, which was still surrounded in boxes. "It's kind of a mess, I apologize. I just got here and..." He stopped and changed subject. "I read your file and I've talked to Agent Weiss, I understand he was your handler temporarily after..." He didn't even want to say it for her sake.  
  
"That's right," she nodded. She was relieved at how this man was turning out to be. It wasn't as bad as she'd expected. It would never be the way it had been with Vaughn, but it would have to do.  
  
"I don't expect you to like to me right away, or for us to work well together right away, but eventually I think we'll manage. We'll start slow. If you have any questions or anything you'd like to say, my door is always open." He smiled to her and she returned it. Neither of them were giving happy smiles, but more understanding smiles. This wouldn't be easy for either of them.  
  
*  
  
He thought he was seeing a 'mirage' when he found himself standing before the safe house. It had taken him a day's walk to arrive there, but he'd finally made it. He thought for sure he must have been crying when he saw it, and he imagined he might start drawing too much attention if he remained standing there, so he went up to the door. He looked around, trying to locate the camera. He couldn't see it, but he knew they could. "This is... This is Agent Michael Vaughn... I-I need to come in..." He didn't know what to say, but then a few seconds later the door opened. The man standing there looked at him as if he'd seen a ghost.  
  
"Agent Vaughn..." he spoke in hushed tones. "We thought you were dead... Where have you been all this time?" he asked as he led him inside.  
  
"It's a long story..." he said, feeling almost like a weight had been lifted just standing in this place. He was free. But with the freedom, there was still one question going through his mind... Was Sydney okay, too? 


	3. Aftermath

Sweet Madness  
  
Chapter 2/?  
  
A/N: Thanks again for all the comments! :D Also this whole chapter is set in the past, back to right after the accident and all. :) We'll be back to one month later in the next one :)  
  
  
When they arrived, Weiss was the first to meet her. He'd been informed of the events of earlier that night. Sydney looked to his sad face and the image of Vaughn on the other side of the window flashed before her eyes again. She closed her eyes, trying to make it go away.  
  
She hadn't gone to change her clothes or anything, but she didn't care what they thought. She'd just lost someone very dear to her, her look was the last thing on her mind. After going through the meetings as required, she went to see Weiss. After the meeting, he'd gone back to his office. When he saw her walk in, he stood and walked up to her.  
  
They stood before each other, unsure of what to do. Instinctively, he put his arms around her, hoping it would bring small comfort. "How are you doing?" he asked her calmly. She welcomed the hug.  
  
"I don't know... None of this seems real..." she said as they parted. "I can't help thinking..." She stopped, looking down.  
  
"What?" he prompted her.  
  
"I can't help thinking it was my fault somehow," she finally admitted.  
  
"Sydney, don't..." he started, but she interrupted him.  
  
"I should have known he'd come looking for me... Why didn't I insist he stay back no matter what? If I'd done that, I'd have made it out and he could have been there waiting for me and we would have come back here together..." she said, not caring how emotional she may have seemed or whether she had started crying. "How could this have happened?" she asked no one in particular.  
  
"It wasn't your fault, okay? Don't say that," Weiss insisted, not sure how to make her feel better. She had a tough road ahead of her, and there was nothing he could do about it.  
  
"Maybe it wasn't... But it still feels like it was, a-and I'm sorry but... I can't change that, I can't feel any differently about it right now."  
  
"I understand," he assured her. He didn't really know what to say. "Hey, you thirsty? Hungry? Anything?"  
  
"I'm fine, but thanks," she said, forcing out a small smile.  
  
"You're welcome."  
  
"Is it okay if I just stay here for a bit? I don't want to go back out there yet," she said, giving a sideways look to the space beyond the office.  
  
"As long as you need to," he said. She nodded a thanks. Weiss sat back down. Neither really had anything to say. They just sat there in silence. That was broken a few minutes later when Jack came knocking at the door.  
  
"Sorry to disturb you, Agent Weiss..." he started, until his eyes fell on his daughter. "Sydney..." She stood. He looked at her, seeing how miserable she seemed. He turned back to Weiss. "Never mind... Sydney, could I talk to you? In private?" She nodded silently.  
  
"Thanks," she turned to Weiss before leaving.  
  
"No problem."  
  
Jack took Sydney to an empty conference room. The two sat one in front of the other. "I know this must be a hard time for you, but there are some things we need to discuss..." he started eventually.  
  
"I saw her..." she said simply, not really looking at him. Even then she knew she didn't have to tell him who she was talking about.  
  
"You did..." he replied, no emotion in particular present in his voice.  
  
"She wanted me to... She wanted me to join her."  
  
"What did you say?"  
  
"I said I couldn't." She looked up into her father's eyes finally.  
  
"You did the right thing," he assured her.  
  
"I guess... I wish I'd been able to talk to her more, try to find out some things but... After I told her no, she only said I could go, no one would stop me, and she left." She tried to read her father's eyes. "It's not over, is it?"  
  
"No, it's not," he confirmed.  
  
"What do I do now?" she asked her father.  
  
"You'll have to go back to SD-6 at some point, but I think you should go home for now."  
  
"No... No, I wanna go to SD-6. There are some things I need to take care of." He nodded. "I need to borrow something from you, though."  
  
*  
  
After changing back to her regular clothes, she drove to the Credit Dauphine building. She made her way up to where her cubicle was. She quickly found Dixon sitting at his desk. She didn't really want to do what she was about to, but she had no choice anymore.  
  
He looked up and saw her. It hurt to see the way he looked at her now. She hoped after she did what she was about to, he'd eventually look at her the same as he used to.  
  
She made sure he saw her walk into a room and she hoped she'd given him enough hints that he'd follow. She waited and a few seconds later he walked in. He closed the door behind him and locked eyes with her.  
  
She took out the pen she'd borrowed from her father and flipped the lid. "Hi," she said, trying to keep calm.  
  
"Hello," he returned, looking at the pen in her hands. She hadn't felt this nervous around him since early in their partnership.  
  
"We don't have much time... Here," she said, handing him a piece of paper. He opened it and found an address and a time.  
  
"What is this?" he asked.  
  
"My proof that I'm not doing anything bad... Please just come." He looked at her and finally nodded.  
  
*  
  
"I want you to know that I didn't tell you before because I didn't want you to be dragged into this, too."  
  
"I don't understand..." he started.  
  
"Ever heard of the Alliance of Twelve?"  
  
"You're working for them?" he asked, taken aback slightly. She was silent for a few seconds, as if she were considering whether to go on.  
  
"So are you," she said.  
  
"What are you saying?"  
  
"I know it's hard to take in, I had the same reaction when I found out. SD-6 isn't part of the CIA..."  
  
"This is insane," Dixon said as he turned to leave.  
  
"Been to Langley lately?" she asked as he started walking. He stopped and turned to her. He knew she had him there.  
  
"Who do you work for?" he asked slowly.  
  
"I'm a double agent with the CIA. And now that you know, you need to consider what you'll do. SD-6 can't find out about this. If you'll take it, I may have an option for you. I don't want to ask you this, but it might be the only way."  
  
"Are you really telling the truth?" he asked.  
  
"Yes, I am. You have no idea how long I've wanted to tell you, lying to you... I didn't like it. I never liked it, and I don't want to have to do it again." He considered her offer.  
  
"What do I have to do?"  
  
*  
  
After she'd driven Dixon to meet with Devlin, she'd been told she could leave. She wasn't sure where to go. She didn't want to go home yet. Never making a conscious decision about it, she arrived at the pier. She got out of her car, walking to the place where she'd met with Vaughn some time before.  
  
She'd been so busy taking care of the Dixon situation that she hadn't actually stopped to think about what had happened just the previous night. It still didn't seem real. In her mind he was alive and just lost, trying to find his way home. She couldn't think of the possibility he might be dead. She wasn't ready to accept that yet.  
  
She was startled out of her thoughts at the sound of her cell phone ringing. She looked at the screen and she nearly dropped her phone in the water. She hesitated shortly before answering the call. "Hello?"  
  
"Sydney..." Arvin Sloane's voice rang out in her ear. His tone was strange.  
  
"Hello," she greeted him.  
  
"I hope I'm not disturbing you."  
  
"No, it's fine," she assured him, "What can I do for you?"  
  
"I thought I should call you and tell you... Emily passed away last night." She thought her heart stopped beating for a second or two. Now the tone of his voice made sense.  
  
"I'm so sorry. How are you doing?" she asked sincerely.  
  
"I don't think it's quite sunk in yet," he said and she felt tears.  
  
"I understand," she said, her mind drifting to Vaughn again.  
  
"I guess you would," he spoke up. For a second she thought he knew, but then she remembered. Danny... "I won't be in the office for the next few days."  
  
"Of course..."  
  
"Anyway, I won't bother you any longer. Goodnight, Sydney."  
  
"Goodnight..." She heard the click and she hung up as well. She tried not to think about it, but it was hard. Danny, Noah, now Vaughn... Why did everyone she got close to have to leave her this way? "No... he's not dead..." she found herself whispering to herself. She started heading back to her car.  
  
That's when she remembered what had happened with Will. She decided to go see him. She had things to discuss with him as well. She was still wrestling with whether or not to bring him into this life.  
  
"He IS in this life now. Whether you like it or not." Vaughn's words rang through her head.  
  
*  
  
She stepped into the room and her face fell. It didn't look good. He'd been cleaned up, but even then she could see the pain. He was asleep, so she went to sit at his bedside. She looked at him, trying to think about what she'd tell him. Just then his eyes fluttered open.  
  
"Hey," she smiled.  
  
"Figured you'd be here when I woke up," he smiled back. His speech was a bit broken up, but with what they'd done to him, she wasn't surprised.  
  
"Happy to oblige. How are you feeling?"  
  
"Like someone played crazy dentist in my mouth..."  
  
"Yeah, I've been there," she nodded. He gave her a look. "Don't ask," she shrugged.  
  
"Okay..." he agreed.  
  
"So... Not counting the physical damage... are you okay?"  
  
"I'm still trying to make sense of everything. I'm just glad I remembered before it was too late..."  
  
"Remembered what?"  
  
"My story... I gave it to someone at work, in a sealed envelope. I told her if anything happened to me, she had to publish it. I called her to tell her not to. Apparently I called just in time. She wanted to know why I was talking the way I was, but..."  
  
"Good..." she nodded. "Are you tired? I'll let you sleep if..."  
  
"No, it's okay." He looked at her and smiled a bit. "Don't take this the wrong way but... you look like heck."  
  
"Thanks," she laughed quietly. It disappeared when the thoughts came back again. "Will... We really need to talk about something."  
  
"What?"  
  
"About what we do... now that you know."  
  
*  
  
After her visit with Will, she finally went home. When she'd finally went the previous night, no one was there. It was good, because she wasn't sure she could have faced Francie yet. She would have figured out a lot just by looking at her. When she walked in, she saw Francie sitting in front of the television.  
  
"Hey, you're back," she said as she stood up, "Feel like I haven't seen you in..." She stopped when she got a good look at her. "Woah... Are you okay?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine," she assured her.  
  
"No, you're not..." Francie shook her head. Sydney looked to the side. "Come on, talk to me." She led her to the couch so they could sit.  
  
"I just... I just lost two people... from work..." she explained slowly, hating to have to lie to her when she really needed some friendly comfort.  
  
"Lost as in..." Sydney looked down again. "Oh... Sydney, I'm sorry," she said, hugging her friend. "Do you want to talk about it?"  
  
"I'll be okay. Right now, I just want a normal night with a friend..."  
  
"Well, I'm here for you," Francie smiled.  
  
"Thanks." Since it had all started, she had continuously thanked whoever had sent Francie her way. No matter how bad things got, she knew she could always count on her. 


	4. Back from the dead

Sweet Madness  
  
3/?  
  
Vaughn stood in front of the mirror, shaving off the beard that he'd accumulated over the time he was trapped. When he was done, the image left there was that of a man barely alive. He'd lost weight and looked ghastly. He'd been given new clothes and was taken to the showers. It felt so good to be clean again. It was like being human again at last.  
  
When he'd been done, they'd taken him to an interrogation room where he was served a meal as they talked. It took some hours before they stopped asking him questions and he was glad. He knew he would be faced with all these questions before he got there, but it was stil very annoying to him. He just wanted to rest, settle in his new freedom.  
  
But then just as he'd lied his head down on the bed they'd given him, there was a knock at the door. He sighed and sat up. "Yes?" A man entered and told him he had a visitor. For a split second he thought it might have been Sydney. It wasn't, but the man who came in instead was just as much a welcome sight, even as he was nearly plowed over.  
  
"I must have asked them to repeat it to me a hundred times, I couldn't believe it," Weiss told him before letting go. "I had to see it for myself. How are you?"  
  
"Tired..." he admitted.  
  
"Oh... I can come back later if you want to..." Weiss started, but Vaughn interrupted him.  
  
"No, it's fine." They sat at a table.  
  
"So what happened? Where have you been?"  
  
"I'm not sure. I don't remember where I was. I know we're still in Taipei."  
  
"They'd given you up for dead. A lot of people gave up hoping, but I knew. I knew you'd still be alive." Vaughn smiled, a thought popping into his head. 'Come on, just ask him...' he thought.  
  
"What about..." he started.  
  
"Sydney?" Weiss filled in the blanks. Vaughn was silent, waiting for the next words. "She's okay, for the most part. I think you scared her most of all. If there's anyone who hoped more than me it was her. She was NOT happy when they assigned her a new handler. I think she'll be glad to get her old one back."  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
"Something wrong?" Weiss asked.  
  
"No, I'm fine," he assured him. "So... what's happened while I was gone?"  
  
*  
  
ROME  
Rodenheim Mansion  
  
Sydney walked into the mansion through the back staff entrance waving her ID, which they'd made on the way over. "Dixon, I'm in," she spoke as she switched on the audio.  
  
"Copy that," he confirmed from the reception room, standing by the bar with a glass of champagne in his hands.  
  
In the security room, Sydney's face was scanned and put through the database, where she showed up as Antonina Rosetti. Having this particular 'job' afforded her the fact that no one would doubt her if they hadn't seen her before. She was to be part of a five-people team in charge of caring for Luther Rodenheim's most precious artifact: A large jewel he kept hidden deep in his vault. That was what Sydney was after.  
  
"Ladies and Gentlemen," Mr Rodenheim called his guests to attention from the top of a staircase. "I welcome you to my home, and in a few minutes, I will put on display what I imagine many of you have come to see," he told them with a smile. The crowd applauded. Rodenheim waved to the five standing behind him and they made their way to the vault.  
  
Arriving in the vault room, each took a turn staring into an occular scanner. With her contacts in place, Sydney passed the scan as well. The door was opened and there, front and center sitting on a velvet pillow under a glass case, was the jewel, gleaming in all its blue glory. As luck would have it, the task of carrying it had fallen on Sydney.  
  
As they made their way down the hall, the other four surrounding her like corners in a square. Going to scratch behind her ear, she pressed a button on the back of the necklace she wore. In the surveillance room, they'd only see a empty hall as they moved into that area. Time to make her move.  
  
Carefully, she pocketed the jewel before bringing up a gas mask from inside her uniform and dropping a ball to the ground. It exploded and released a gas. The others began dropping, but one was more persistent than the rest. After exchanging some blows, he went down and Sydney took off down the hall.  
  
In the reception room, Rodenheim was getting impatient and he left to go investigate. Seeing that, Dixon went to intercept him.  
  
"Mr Rodenheim," he called to him. The old man turned as Dixon put out his hand. "Henry Simmons, it's an honor." He shook his hand.  
  
"Thank you. I'm sorry, do you need anything?"  
  
"I was wondering if you could answer a question..." he started as he saw one of the five carriers approach them with a limp.  
  
"Sir, the jewel was stolen..." he told him in Italian as he turned to him. When Rodenheim turned back to Dixon though, he was gone.  
  
Outside, Dixon joined Sydney in the van and they drove off. He looked at her and she held up the jewel. "Good work."  
  
"Thank you." This wasn't their first mission together now that he knew the truth, but there were still some awkward moments.  
  
"They arrived at a rendez-vous point where Agent Belgrave was waiting to get the jewel. They gave it to him and he left. Now that it was in safe hands, it was time for them to set the stage for their deception.  
  
They stopped somewhere, making rubber tracks on the ground. They walked out and after hesitating shortly, they fought briefly. When it was over and they had the 'proper appearance' they made the call for back-up.  
  
*  
  
LOS ANGELES  
  
Sydney and Dixon walked out of the airport and started for their cars when Sydney's beeper went off. She checked it and looked to Dixon. "It's Weiss, I have to go."  
  
"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow," he smiled and walked off.  
  
"Okay." She smiled as well and went to her car.  
  
The mission had gone off perfectly, so why was she so down? She knew though... It just hadn't been the same without Vaughn. Sure, Belgrave was a great handler, but it wasn't the same kind of dynamic she had with Vaughn. With Belgrave, it was more of a fatherly kind of thing. With Vaughn, well...  
  
She arrived at the building and walked in. Already she'd felt that something had changed... a sense of new yet familiar. People all looking at her and becoming quiet didn't help.  
  
"Hey," she stopped in the doorway of Weiss' office. He nearly jumped ten feet. "Sorry," she told him with a smirk.  
  
"Sydney, hi, come in, sit down..." She did so, an eyebrow arched at his behavior.  
  
"Is everything alright?"  
  
"What? Oh, yeah, it's fine."  
  
"I don't believe you..." she tested him.  
  
"I'm not lying, everything's great. Actually, I think I lost a bit of weight," he smiled and patted his stomach. She wasn't fooled.  
  
"Weiss..."  
  
"So how was the mission?"  
  
"It was fine. We got what we were after."  
  
"That's... great." An awkward silence settled in.  
  
"Look, just tell me what's going on, alright?"  
  
"I just... I want to tell you, really..."  
  
"So do it..."  
  
"But... I can't! I can't do it... I want to though, boy do I want to." She smiled.  
  
"Come on, you can tell me..." He looked at her for a few seconds, then with a nod he stood and went to stand on the other side of the desk.  
  
"Okay, well... Sydney..." Before he could get another word out though...  
  
"Agent Bristow." They turned to see Devlin standing in the door.  
  
"Sir?" Sydney stood.  
  
"Please follow me." She looked back to Weiss. He nodded her along. She followed the man, Weiss trailing behind.  
  
"What's going on?" she asked, feeling like she'd been asking that a lot lately.  
  
"We had a walk in at a CIA safehouse in Taipei..." Something inside her twisted at that.  
  
"Yes?" she asked for more. He didn't say anything, leading her down a hall and to a window into a room. Taking slow steps toward it, she looked inside.  
  
It couldn't be... After all this time... It had to be another deceiving mirage... But no, it wasn't a mirage, she knew as she continued to look. Vaughn turned his head and looked right at her... and she fainted. 


End file.
